Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is Franz Ferdinand's 3rd album, following up their 2004 eponymous debut and 2005's You Could Have It So Much Better, both of which quickly established the Scottish quartet as a sort of post-punk revival dance indie rock group, if such a thing exists. T:FF doesn't really expand on that niche - you can dance to every single song on this album - and there's not a whole lot new here. But their formula of catchy, danceable indie punk rock still works five years after their debut, and they're certainly milking it.
This has been touted as a "concept album," following the band through a wild night out on the town and ending with a bittersweet, slightly painful morning (connecting hard-partying "No You Girls" with sweet album closer "Katherine Kiss Me")...but Arctic Monkeys did the same thing on their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, and they did it better, too. For a concept, it isn't exactly much of an earth-shattering one. I would have liked to see them put a new spin on the wild night out thing and give us something new.
First single and album opener "Ulysses" is catchy, but somewhat cold, and a little strange (see full review here). The rest of the album follows suit, for the most part. Likely second single "No You Girls" is the basis for Apple's newest iPod Touch commercial, and finds Alex Kapranos & Co. experimenting with a twangy, blues-y riff (and apparently using human bones as percussion) - it's easily the catchiest song they've put out since 2004's "Take Me Out." Other standouts include the space-y "Dream Again," the synth-y "Twilight Omens," and the 80's-tastic, stomp-y "Can't Stop Feeling."
The best song on this album, though, is the eight-minute epic "Lucid Dreams." FF released a version of this on iTunes as an early single a while ago, and it's really nice to see that they've completely re-tooled it into a space-y, hard rocking track complete with a four-and-a-half minute synth dance breakdown/jam session. I would have liked to see more songs like "Lucid Dreams" on the album, to fulfill the "reinvention" promises, but this song is a perfect enough gem for now. It's a really strange, nonsensical song - a rock song that melds into shamelessly danceable club music...but it works.
The Bottom Line: T:FF perfectly blends retro with cutting-edge with futuristic, and while it's not quite the sound overhaul we were promised, it's still a great third album and shows enough innovation to entice new fans while staying true to diehards. Like catchy, dance-able, well-produced, high quality, amazing music? Get this album NOW.
Download: The entire album if you can, but the key tracks are "No You Girls," "Ulysses," and "Lucid Dreams." (Available on iTunes)
Rating: 8.5/10
mood: it's sleepytime...or at least i wish it was
music: here i come - the roots - game theory
